Change is on the horizon for the library after the ribbon was cut for its very own new coffee shop, Jimmy B’s.

On Feb. 3,  Jimmy B’s had its grand opening.

The event was celebrated with staff, students, community members and the Kittitas Chamber of Commerce, who helped give the new coffee shop the opening it deserved.

Brooks Library Dean Patricia Cutright and the entire library staff couldn’t be more thrilled with this latest addition to their library.

For them, this isn’t just an easier stop for coffee, it’s a chance to become more involved with Central students.

“I can’t wait to be able to start my morning routine here,” said Carlos Pelley, library staff member. “I now get the chance to talk to students and talk to them about the archives.”

This coffee shop has been a long time coming.

Cutright heard the cry for coffee from Central students in two different case studies performed in both 2011 and 2013.

“Since students were doing projects about us opening a coffee shop here, we obviously knew there was a big student interest, and we want to show our students that we hear them,” Cutright said.

After three project requests and ongoing work from library staff members Michelle Rylie and Molly Allen, the dream finally became a reality.

The new coffee shop has been a welcome change in the Brooks Library, providing students with a safer and closer option for a late night coffee while they are studying.

The library staff decided to honor the past in naming Jimmy B’s after former Central President James E. Brooks, the first librarian of and namesake of Brooks Library.

For Cutright, the opening of Jimmy B’s is the perfect jumping off point to continue implementing changes in the library.

“We need to change the look of the library. The way students study and interact is so different from the way it used to be,” Cutright said.

Cutright hopes to do more major remodeling to create a new atmosphere for students to study and interact with each other.

“We need a rethinking of the entire space,” Cutright said.

Most students spend the majority of their time in the library either in the fish bowl or the computer lab downstairs. With this in mind, the library staff wants build from there and create an environment that caters to the needs of modern students.

One of the changes Cutright is looking to accomplish is rewiring the library’s entire electrical system to accommodate for more development in the future.

This will mean more outlets for students to plug into across the entire library, better Wi-Fi connection and internet speeds and maybe even the addition of a new computer lab upstairs.

The libraries need for an infrastructure and technology update is high on the priority list of the library’s administration.

Molly Allen, library administrator, ran into this problem of outdated infrastructure when she needed to update plumbing for the coffee shop.

Cutright’s ultimate goal for the library is to create an environment that more students will enjoy and make use of.

“This coffee shop helps bring in more people to the library,” Cutright said. “We are happy to have students here even if it’s just for a cup of coffee.”